Artizone, an online “specialty food shopping community”, is looking for more products. 

“We have over 20 different local food producers in our online store,” explained Associate VP Market Operations Amber Dietrich, “but we are looking to add additional high-quality, locally made specialty foods to what we offer our customers.” 
Launched in Dallas in November 2010, Artizone gives customers the opportunity to buy products from a variety of local artisans—most of which are not available at the major grocery stores-- and delivers them to your door.  

Currently, Artizone’s lineup of artisanal food producers provide meats, freshly baked pastries and breads, organic herbs and spices, wines, gourmet cheeses, chocolates, jellies, yogurt, seafood, coffee  and pastas for home delivery in Dallas and several neighboring cities as well.  In all, shoppers can browse and buy close to 1,000 products online at Artizone’s site. 

“But we want to provide even more variety for our customers,” Dietrich said.  Salsas, tamales and other specialty foods top her wish list, but she’s also on the hunt for unique, ethnic foods made in North Texas.   “I tasted a locally made Kulfi the other day and it was seriously delicious. That’s the kind of specialty product that we are interested in,” she said.   Kulfi is an Indian ice cream that’s lightly spiced with flavors like cardamom, saffron and cinnamon. 

Also high on her list are locally grown organic produce and locally made health and beauty products.   “We’d love to be able to provide our shoppers with high quality seasonal local produce as well as soaps and lotions made from ingredients like beeswax and lavender that come from this area,” she explained, “and we are actively looking for sources.”  

Customers can browse the site and place orders for products from any of the artisans on the site.  Once they register they can check out and choose a delivery time, which is based on the products’ availability and the stores’ opening hours. 

Currently Artizone delivers to most of Dallas as well as  Addison, Allen, Carrolton, Coppell, Farmers Branch, Flower Mound, Frisco, Irving, Las Colinas, McKinney, Oak Cliff, Plano and Richardson, with plans to expand into mid-cities and possibly Fort Worth in 2012.

Artizone  (a portmanteau word combining zone and artisans)  is based in Israel where it was established as a spin-off of Dassault Systemes, a French software company.  Although the company maintains a relationship with Dessault, it is independently developing Artizone as an online specialty foods shopping community.  The company is expanding to Chicago with a grand opening planned for mid-February.